NOII Networks of Inquiry and Innovation

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Wednesday, June 7, 2017

There is still a bit of time (although not much!) to register for the UBC Inquiry and Innovation Summer Institute on July 7 & 8. A two-day intensive working session for teachers, principals, Aboriginal cultural workers, district leaders and others interested in making inquiry-informed and innovative practices a way of life in your school and district settings.

This is a great opportunity to bring a team of educators for some in-depth summer learning.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

What an action packed few weeks of learning and sharing it has been for the Networks. There have been a number of regional celebrations taking place over the last few days or coming up soon, with school teams sharing their inquiry learning and celebrating how connected learning matters and how this has the potential to “make things right” for our students and communities.

Those who attended the 2017 NOII Symposium (or followed us on Twitter at #noii2017) will surely remember the significance of “making things right” and how Kaleb Child explained this as being our collective responsibility for our children, as well as recognizing the “racism of low expectations.” Indeed, many of the presenters, school presentations, ignite sessions and flash chats addressed this challenge throughout the 3 day event.

And this is what the Network is all about – and what the Symposium hopes to accomplish each year. It’s about coming together and working hard to address how to improve the outcomes and lived experiences of our learners. It’s about EVERY learner crossing the stage with dignity, purpose and options. All learners (kids and adults) leaving the school more curious than when they arrived. And ALL learners gaining knowledge and respect for Indigenous ways of knowing. We hope you felt these “reverberations” as you participated in the Symposium this year. Here are some comments we received through our feedback survey:

“As for ideas that resonated with me... so many! My biggest one that I came back with and spoke with my District Principal about was the fact that Spirals brings the focus back to the students. It isn't about teachers' professional "development". Instead it is about being reflective educators engaging in "professional learning" in responsive ways to meet the needs of our students. It places the students at the centre of all learning, including the teachers.”

“The power of grassroots, teacher-led development of practice is a force unstoppable. It was a great first experience with the Symposium. One veteran participant described it as coming home to a family of like-minded educators.”

“What jazzed me was the diversity of ideas, the push to go to the next level. Only my second time attending, but by the end exhausted and invigorated at the same time! The importance of keeping it up, pushing through the moments of exasperation and helping each student believe they can be successful, then helping them find that success.”

“The symposium was so inspiring and energizing - it has really given me the push I needed to finish the year off strong, and to plan for the year ahead. I have already begun making connections with other educators and outside groups in order to get our outdoor classroom, and outdoor education program as a whole, rolling for next year.”

“Every single person who came was genuinely on the paddling team - from the Yukon, BC, Alberta, New Zealand, Australia, Oakland, Montreal... it was spirit lifting to know so many people who care so deeply - and also who know how to play.”

“I left in a state of awe, gratitude and wonder. My learning will reverberate for months and years to come. Thank you all!”

“Excellent arrangement of speakers, musicians and story tellers. Food was lovely, venue was fabulous, content was rich and evoked curiosity. I have indeed left more curious than when I came - and I came in with a dozen questions! Thanks for the fabulous sessions! Well done.”

We are extremely grateful to those who contributed their time to the event through presentations, leading flash chats, volunteering, and being fully engaged in lively discussions over the course of 3 days. Several presentations and highlights from the Symposium have now been posted on our website here. Some shared comments are also captured below and through #noii2017.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Several years ago, well before the
inception of the Network, Linda and I spent some time in New Mexico and became
intrigued with spiral images that were all over the place. We came home with
earrings, candle-holders, necklaces, tee-shirts, coasters and even placemats. Although
we have cut back on spiral purchases, the image remained compelling.

We hadn’t really made the connection to
inquiry until our work with Helen Timperley helped us all realize that the
inquiry process is much more of a continuous spiral than it is a fixed cycle. We like the red brush stroked spiral that was
designed to reflect our conceptualization of the inquiry process. While we knew
the image was right, it was only recently that we learned more about the spiral
and what it means to some Native American groups. What we found out made the image
even more special.

Over Spring Break I spent a few days with a
friend from childhood at an adventure spa in southern Utah.We hiked, practiced yoga, tried out a barre
class (never again), had massages and swapped stories over wine.The weather was glorious and the red rocks of
the canyons were stunningly beautiful.

On one guided hike, a ranger took us into
hidden places where the rocks were covered with ancient petroglyphs of the Navajo
people. Spiral images were everywhere. She said that the spiral represents the
space between what is and what can be, between the present and a preferred
future. It also reflects the passage between life as we know it and an after
life.

Later, we were encouraged to walk slowly
around, into and out of a spiral of stones in the red dirt. As we walked in, we
were encouraged to be aware of the burdens we were carrying, the hurts, the sorrows,
the losses - a metaphoric backpack. Once
in the centre, we were to put the backpack down and imagine it being consumed
by the fire and the energy that exists in the core of the spiral. On the way
out, we were to be open to new possibilities. I can imagine some of you
thinking I must have been on a very strange adventure.

And yet, when I thought about it, I saw
some close parallels with what the spiral of inquiry asks educators to do – and
where it can take us. Being open to listening to our learners and reflecting on
our own practices takes courage and can often feel a bit overwhelming. The
backpack of understanding can feel pretty heavy. And when as a team, we decide
to put the backpack down (or as Helen Timperley advised us ‘put down the
ducky’) we open ourselves up to all kinds of new possibilities. The changes
that schools are making when they go into that space of listening to their
learners can be life changing for them.

We say repeatedly that the spiral of
inquiry is not an initiative - it is a
way of professional being. The idea that the spiral represents the way between
where we are and a better place for our learners makes the image even more
compelling.

Dr. Helen Timperley, University of Auckland, New Zealand, is widely recognized for her work in professional learning. She has published widely, including her most recent book Realizing the Power of Professional Learning (2014).

Amelia Petersonis completing doctoral studies through Harvard University’s PhD in Education. She is currently studying the development processes of innovative education policy agendas, and working on Thrive: Why 21st Century Skills Are Not Enough (with Valerie Hannon, forthcoming June 2017).

Join us for an engaging session with two international scholars! Please share the flyer with your colleagues. Not registered for the NOII Symposium on May 12 & 13th yet? Registration is almost sold out: www.noii.ca/symposium.

Monday, March 13, 2017

The Centre for Innovation Educational Leadership at Vancouver Island University invites you to the Assessment for Learning Drive-In on April 20th from 4pm – 6pm at VIU Cowichan Campus in Duncan. For more details and to RSVP, see their flyer.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Network schools are now fully engaged in their school inquiries, collaborating across roles and schools to improve teaching and learning in their districts. Please take a few moments to scan through the list of topics for this school year so you can see the breadth of learning taking place across the province, as well as potentially connect with another school and/or district working on similar learning goals. There are three lists of inquiry topics to explore:

AESN Impact Study
Secondary schools focused on student transitions for Aboriginal learners. These schools are also engaged in a research study looking at the impact of their inquiry work.

Network of Inquiry and Innovation
Schools focused on a variety of topics linked to specific school needs. For example, self-regulated learning, the new curriculum, student engagement, math, co-teaching and collaboration, etc.

We also want to share a great new resource from the New Zealand Ministry of Education focused on the Spiral of Inquiry. Their new website features resources to support all stages of the Spiral, including collaborative inquiry examples, videos, links to the work in BC, and more. Certainly worth checking out and sharing widely! You can find this and other materials linked on our Resources page on the website.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

You are invited to our second Extended Lower Mainland Network Gathering on January 23rd from 4 – 6 pm at Norma Rose Point School in Vancouver. This is a great time to share in some professional dialogue with other educators and learn from both local and international research. It is always exciting to share our stories.

Our focus for this session will be Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives.We are so pleased that Jo-Anne Chrona, Jurisdiction/TEFA Curriculum Coordinator from FNESC (First Nations Education Steering Committee) will be joining us and sharing the new Science First Peoples resource.

There will be an opportunity to explore, discuss and learn about this resource and make connections to the revised curriculum and interdisciplinary learning frameworks. We also welcome Linda Klassen, who will be sharing an “Ignite” session about Aboriginal Education at Gibson Elementary School in Delta.

After this session, teams will have an opportunity to share their inquiry work and case studies to date.